By Leslie Cox
Special to The Record
As spring bulbs and early flowering perennials gleefully announce winter is nearing its end, the explosion of fall colour in the coming days and weeks celebrates the glory of the gardening season in spite of this year’s challenges.
One of the harbingers announcing this shoulder season is the Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum (doublefile viburnum) outside our bedroom window. Deep burgundy red leaves definitely are an eye-opener first thing in the morning.
The Stewartia pseudocamellia tree nearby starts adding its burnished copper-orange red colour, soon to be completely engulfed and filling most of the view from the window. Subtle support to the autumn picture from the window is the yellows from Amsonia illustris (Ozark bluestar), fading hostas and Tovara virginiana ‘Lance Corporal’ (syn. Persicaria virginiana ‘Lance Corporal’).
The weigelas are changing colour too. Weigela florida ‘Variegata,’ a delightful tall shrub with white and green variegated leaves through spring and summer, is donning its ruby red fall coat. And my newest weigela, ‘Wings of Fire,’ is totally living up to its name.
Never thought I would say this, but I am so glad I lost the deadheading battle on my rugosa rose hedge towards the end of August. The large-sized rose hips are turning a bright red and look great against the yellow of the rose leaves.
The other day I marched into the garden armed with my loppers, all set to do a serious pruning job on a Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea (purple Japanese barberry).
It is seriously restricting a portion of my view from the front window. But as I stepped into the bed with loppers at the ready, I paused. Even in deep shade, this barberry is loaded with small, bright red berries along the length of its arching stems.
Dang. I just couldn’t prune this shrub. I have a photo from last winter of no fewer than six robins in this same barberry, companionably feasting on the berries.
The saying, “going to the birds” resonates in our garden, so I will put up with the barberry restricting a portion of the view. But come spring…
Not to be outdone, the Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Princess Diana’ tree (serviceberry) is glowing a soft shade of red in the shade of our cedar hedge. The red flowers on Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, now classified as Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’, and bright red tips on the blades of Panicum virgatum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ (red switch grass) add to the spreading red theme in the fall garden. Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’ (Japanese blood grass) also adds a wonderful red colour to the fall garden.
Then there are the two smokebushes, Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ and C. ‘Grace’, adding their enhanced purple fall colours to the burnished yellows of some of the peonies and Actea racemosa atropurpurea. Once known as Cimicifuga simplex var. racemosa you might know this plant better as bugbane or black cohosh.
Blue is a fall colour?
It sure is when you are talking about the deep blue of the flowers on Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’ (azure monkshood).
Especially when it is tucked between the changing yellows of Hydrangea ‘Kyushu’, still with white flowers intact, and overshadowed by the towering red Amelanchier.
All of this talk of fall colour and fall garden chores from my last column prompts me to offer my “Putting the Garden to Bed” workshop, online via Zoom, for interested gardeners of all levels. This one-hour session will cover a number of chores that should be done, not only to prep your garden for winter, but also set it up for next spring.
Full details are available on my website, https://duchessofdirt.ca under ‘Zoom workshops’ in ‘Presentations’ on the menu bar.
Leslie Cox co-owns Growing Concern Cottage Garden in Black Creek. Her website is at www.duchessofdirt.ca.